overwound wall clock

Simonon77

Section62 said:

Simonon77 said:

If you very gently lever back the ratchet then it will let all the tension out of the spring, and you can wind it up as normal.

Levering any part of a clock mechanism, however gently, is a good way of doing permanent damage to it.  As is an uncontrolled release of the energy stored in the spring.

Giving the pendulum a regular nudge is a safest way of dealing with the problem, even though it may take some effort and time to get there.

If the pendulum is of the removable type then temporarily removing it may (if done with great care) assist in the process of unbinding the spring.  The pendulum acts as a regulator/governor which provides resistance to the mechanism. When a clock is overwound the amount of torque the spring can supply isn't sufficient to overcome the internal friction in the spring on top of the resistance of the mechanism.  Therefore reducing the resistance (by removing the pendulum) can sometimes help get the spring unbound quicker... but must be done with great caution. It allows a more controlled release of the energy stored in the spring.

The ratchet is on a pivot held by a spring. It is designed to move so can be levered back without damaging anything. You can also use the key in the winding mechanism to slowly release the spring tension.

When you are working on a clock movement and need to release the spring tension you don't spend hours releasing it. 

ThisIsWeird

Simonon77 said:

Section62 said:

Simonon77 said:

If you very gently lever back the ratchet then it will let all the tension out of the spring, and you can wind it up as normal.

Levering any part of a clock mechanism, however gently, is a good way of doing permanent damage to it.  As is an uncontrolled release of the energy stored in the spring.

Giving the pendulum a regular nudge is a safest way of dealing with the problem, even though it may take some effort and time to get there.

If the pendulum is of the removable type then temporarily removing it may (if done with great care) assist in the process of unbinding the spring.  The pendulum acts as a regulator/governor which provides resistance to the mechanism. When a clock is overwound the amount of torque the spring can supply isn't sufficient to overcome the internal friction in the spring on top of the resistance of the mechanism.  Therefore reducing the resistance (by removing the pendulum) can sometimes help get the spring unbound quicker... but must be done with great caution. It allows a more controlled release of the energy stored in the spring.

The ratchet is on a pivot held by a spring. It is designed to move so can be levered back without damaging anything. You can also use the key in the winding mechanism to slowly release the spring tension.

When you are working on a clock movement and need to release the spring tension you don't spend hours releasing it. 

That's all fine for folk with that level of knowledge and understanding. It's not something I'd suggest for a novice, who might be caught off guard by the power of the spring and release the key. Potential shredded ratchet and apoplexy :-)

Brie

ThisIsWeird said:

That's all fine for folk with that level of knowledge and understanding. It's not something I'd suggest for a novice, who might be caught off guard by the power of the spring and release the key. Potential shredded ratchet and apoplexy :-)

certainly not something I'm about to try!!!